Once upon a time, wearing perfume was a luxury in India. That’s because there weren’t any perfumes that were made in this country.
At the time, people had to depend on relatives and friends coming from abroad to buy them a flacon of some perfume.
Others not so fortunate would end up paying a lot of money for cheap fakes made locally but packed in original falcons.
Over the last decade, all this has changed. Now India is a leading manufacturer of perfumes for women and men.
Partly because Indians are witnessing more affluence now and the millennial generation wants to shed old habits.
And secondly, India is a huge market for women’s and men’s perfumes which every company wants to tap. In this article, I will reveal some of the best perfumes in India.
What to Look for in a Perfume?
Now if you’re going to buy any of the best perfumes in India, here’re some things you should look for. That’s because it would help you select the right fragrance.
Cost of the Perfume
The first and foremost thing you should consider while buying a perfume is its cost. That’s because using perfume daily can prove pretty expensive.
Imported perfumes cost a lot. That’s why this list contains a list of perfumes made in India, that’s affordable and superb too.
Suitability
Never buy a perfume just because it smells good on your relative or friend or colleague. Each fragrance has its own way of developing on a person’s body, depending upon various factors.
And these factors include body odour or smell, which differs from person to person, body temperature and way of use.
Genre of Perfume
Broadly speaking, there are five different genres of perfumes. They include:
- Floral: or ones that are made with scents from flowers.
- Woody: crafted with fragrant woods and incense such as sandalwood, lemongrass, oud and other similar things.
- Citrus: The citrus genre of perfumes has main notes from lime, lemon, tangerine, orange and other citrus fruits.
- Mystique: These are the kind of fragrances made with musk and other natural elements that have a distinct scent.
- Fruity: Made from fresh-smelling fruits, citrus and peaches, cherries, pineapple, wood-apple and other fragrant natural or artificial essences.
Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette
As a rule, Eau de Parfum is stronger or concentrated than Eau de Toilette or what we commonly call cologne. Therefore, you’ll have to buy a fragrance depending upon the type of usage.
For indoor use in air-conditioned places, an Eau de Toilette or cologne would suffice. For parties and events, use Eau de Parfum.
Male, Female or Unisex
In India, we have this trend of unisex perfumes because of the costs. However, there’re also superb fragrances available for men and women.
And nowadays, there’re fruity perfumes for kids too. There Are no hard and fast rules that men should use male fragrances or women should use those for females.
It all depends upon your personal likes and other factors such as body odour and heat.
Best Perfumes for Women in India
Thanks to the booming fragrance industry of India, nowadays there’s a huge selection of perfumes for women that are available both online and offline.
In this section, I will write about my curated list of the top eight best perfumes for women in India.
1. Enchanteur Paris Adore
Adored by Enchanteur Paris is a sensual fragrance with notes of wild jasmine, pink mimosa and golden pear. This is a superb evening perfume for women. It’s available at a very affordable price too.
2. Bella Vita Organic Glam
Ideal for day-long use, Bella Vita Organic Glam has top notes of Pink Pepper and Mandarin Orange. Mid/Heart notes are Rose and Jasmine. Base notes include Musk and Patchouli. A perfect fragrance for day-long use, especially in a warm climate.
3. A Fragrance Valley of Flowers
This is a fragrance from the floral – woody genre. It is inspired by the scenic, aromatic flora along the Pushpavati river of Uttarakhand. Notes include orange blossom, lily of the valley honeysuckle, jasmine, patchouli, orange and amber accord.
4. Body Cupid Aqua Wave
This is an all-day fragrance for women from Body Cupid. Top notes are of mint, green nuances, lavender, coriander and rosemary. Heart notes include geranium, neroli, jasmine and sandalwood; while base notes are of cedarwood, musk and amber.
5. Yardley London Country Breeze
Yardley London Country Breeze is a floral fragrance for women. It consists of top notes of rose, tuberose and lemongrass, mid notes of sandalwood and cypher and base notes of musk, lavender and germanium. This is an ideal fragrance for daily use.
6. Skinn Titan Celeste
This is a floral type feminine fragrance. Top and heart notes are a combination of mandarin and grapefruit, juicy green pear, ginger and white peach. Base notes are of sandalwood, patchouli and white musk.
7. La French Party Girl
La French Party Girl is an outdoor and evening perfume for women. The top notes are Almond, Coffee, Bergamot and Lemon, middle notes are Tuberose, Jasmine Sambac, Orris, Orange Blossom and Bulgarian Rose while the base notes are Tonka Bean, Cacao, Vanilla, Praline, Sandalwood, Amber, Musk, Cashmere Wood, Patchouli, Cinnamon and Cedar.
Best PerfumeS for Men in India
Perfumes for men are also available aplenty from Indian companies. In fact, most makers of Indian cosmetics for men now have a range of fragrances for men too. Here we will see the top seven such perfumes.
1. Ustraa Insignia
Ustraa Insignia is one of the best perfumes for men in India has top notes of Caribbean Nutmeg, Bergamot and Grapefruit, heart notes of Namibian Myrrh Tree, Tonka Beans and Vetiver and base notes of Cedarwood, Agarwood and Musk. This is a fresh perfume that’s superb for day-long use.
2. Hydra by Villain
Hydra by Villain has marine scents and is a typically masculine fragrance. It has top notes of musk and agarwood, mid-notes of cocoa and cedarwood with base notes of seaweeds and cedar.
3. Beardo Godfather
This is an all-day fragrance for men by Beardo, a leading maker of male cosmetics. It has refreshing citrus and floral notes as well as bold and intense notes of Spice and musk which makes it versatile to be worn during the day as well as at night.
4. Yardley Gentleman Classic
Yardley is one of the best perfume brands in India. Gentleman Classic from Yardley is a mystique type perfume with top notes of amber and musk, mid notes of bergamot and orange, base notes of sandalwood and cedar. This is an economically priced daily use perfume for men.
5. Bella Vita Organic CEO
Another superb perfume for men comes from Bella Vita Organic. This fragrance known as CEO has top notes of musk and agarwood, mid-notes of orange, bergamot and lavender while the smooth base notes are of sandalwood and citrus. This is a fresh fragrance for men.
6. Ustraa Malt
This is another one of the best perfumes in India for men. Ustraa Malt is a limited-edition perfume and hence, one of the best from this company. It has top notes of vetiver and musk. Heart notes include Balsam, Coffee and Neroli. Base notes are Tonka, Tobacco and Patchouli.
7. Beardo Whisky Smoke
This is an amazing fragrance from Beardo. E: Beardo Godfather EDP has top notes of Whiskey, Tobacco and spice. Mid notes are of Coriander and Vanilla. Base notes are of Oudh, Sandalwood, Patchouli and leather. This is an evening fragrance for men.
Special Mention
Now that we’ve seen the top seven fragrances for women and the best eight perfumes for men, here’s a fragrance that I personally love. Hence, I include it on this list of the 15 best perfumes for women and men.
Christian Dior Fahrenheit
Christian Dior Fahrenheit is one of the most popular fragrances for men in the international market. The good news is that it’s available in India too.
Fahrenheit has top notes of Lavender, mandarin orange, hawthorn, nutmeg flower, cedar, bergamot, chamomile and lemon.
Mid notes of Nutmeg, honeysuckle, carnation, sandalwood, violet leaf, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and cedar and base notes of leather, tonka bean, amber, patchouli, musk and vetiver.
In Conclusion
Other than Christian Dior Fahrenheit, which is made in France, all the other fragrances for women and men in this list are from Indian companies.
That’s because they’re economical when compared to foreign brands. And Indian fragrances are equally good.
In fact, using Indian fragrances is advisable since they’re made especially for the Indian skin and body scent types of wearers.
Before you set out to buy a perfume, remember the tips that I’ve provided earlier in this article.
Also, it’s worth knowing that we cannot smell more than three perfumes within a few minutes since our sense of smell is numbed after the first three.
Therefore, never test more than three fragrances while buying at any store.